Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996)
Darkman III: Die Darkman Die is a film with a narrow scope. Only those who've seen the first Darkman would even consider viewing it, and because it’s only available as a three-pack with the second sequel, only viewers who liked the second one, or are die-hard fans will see it. The good news is under those parameters, it's quite good.
Arnold Vosloo returns as Peyton Westlake, a disfigured scientist looking for a way to perfect his liquid-skin formula and repair his face and hands. Stealing money from criminals to fund his research, he grabs the attention of a corrupt businessman named Peter Rooker (Jeff Fahey).
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Die Darkman Die. It contains everything you wanted in a sequel, unlike the mediocre Return of Durant. There’s a nice variety in the action, including some fun sequences where Darkman is in way over his head and has to think on his feet. Depending on the scene, he must either contest with an intellectual foe, or enemies that match him physically. Also admirable is how well other key elements of the Darkman mythos are handled. There is a lot done with the whole “scientist looking for the cure” thing, and many inventive portions of the plot have Darkman impersonating people in ways that are unique to this franchise. More than ever, Darkman feels unique. He only "happens" to fight crime to fund his research. What criminal would run to the police announcing that a bandaged crimefighter took their ill-gotten funds? It’s the perfect solution!
As for the new villain, he’s deliciously evil. When your series concerns a hero who frequently goes on mad tantrums, you want an opponent who's a right mix of campy and serious. Jeff Fahey does a terrific job playing the role as both bounce-off-the-walls loony, and cold and calculating depending on the tone of the scene. Bringing the movie down to earth is a little bit of romance introduced for our hero too. The whole Beauty and the Beast element of the story is a nice touch.
For all the praise I’m giving, and for every enjoyable moment, I'll remind you that this is still a direct-to-video movie that looks and feels more like several episodes of a TV show stitched together than a blockbuster with superb performances and a dynamite script. Some of the performances are shaky, the production is a bit rough (particularly some big explosive stunts towards the end) and with the way this movie wraps itself up, you can tell they could only do so much with the character. It’s too bad. If it was given just a little bit more money, and the actors were a little bit better, This third chapter would've have been a great film. Right now, it’s more of a bonus for fans of the characters created by Sam Raimi.
There are few things I didn’t like about Darkman III. The twists, new characters, action, and plot may even raise it to the level of the original. If you’re even the tiniest bit interested, go for it. (On DVD, February 15, 2015)